Search

Honey is a naturally occurring material made by bees from the sweet, fragrant nectar of flowers. More than 200 substances have been identified in honey, the majority of which are sugars and water. Certain physical characteristics of honey, such as crystallization and viscosity, are substantially affected by moisture. The honey may be stored for a longer period of time because of the low water content, which shields it from microbial activity. Honey from around Pozarevac, the place in Serbia with the largest production of honey, was controlled. A refractometer from A. KRÜSS Optronic GmbH was used for this research. In the period from 2019 to 2021, 99 samples of acacia honey and 114 samples of meadow honey were analyzed. The average values of water percentage in the indicated period in both types of honey were between 16 % and 17 %. Based on this research, it can be concluded that the percentage of water in acacia and meadow honey was below the maximum allowed values according to national and European regulations. Below 17 % water content, honey fermentation is inhibited. Honey with a water percentage above 17 % is sensitive to fermentation, while honey with a water content above 19 % is extremely vulnerable.

Honey is a naturally occurring material made by bees from the sweet, fragrant nectar of flowers. More than 200 substances have been identified in honey, the majority of which are sugars and water. Certain physical characteristics of honey, such as crystallization and viscosity, are substantially affected by moisture. The honey may be stored for a longer period of time because of the low water content, which shields it from microbial activity. Honey from around Pozarevac, the place in Serbia with the largest production of honey, was controlled. A refractometer from A.KRÜSS Optronic GmbH was used for this research. In the period from 2019 to 2021, 99 samples of acacia honey and 114 samples of meadow honey were analyzed. The average values of water percentage in the indicated period in both types of honey were between 16% and 17%. Based on this research, it can be concluded that the percentage of water in acacia and meadow honey was below the maximum allowed values according to national and European regulations. Below 17% water content, honey fermentation is inhibited. Honey with a water percentage above 17% is sensitive to fermentation, while honey with a water content above 19% is extremely vulnerable.

Dugotrajana izloženost hemijskim zagađivačima je uzrok hroničnih oboljenja, ali i povećanog rizika za kancerogeni efekat. Uobičajeno je mišljenje potrošača da je hrana biljnog porekla, koja se direktno tretira pesticidima jedini problem, ali i hrana animalnog porekla može predstavljati rizik po zdravlje ljudi. Izvori kontaminacije hrane animalnog porekla su mnogobrojni: hrana biljnog porekla u toku ishrane životinja, voda, dezinfekcija prostora za gajenje životinja, tretiranje životinja veterinarskim lekovima, dodatak prehrambenih aditiva i sveprisutni industrijski zagađivači, kao što su teški metali, polihlorovani bifenili i dioksini. Hemijski kontaminenti uglavnom ne dovode do promena koje se mogu zapaziti senzornim ispitivanjem hrane. Načini kontaminacije zavise od porekla hrane, lokacije i njene upotrebe. Od namirnica animalnog porekla, najveći akcenat je na mesu čija je poštrošnja u velikom porastu od 1980-te godine. Zbog toga je praćenje hemijske bezbednosti i utvrđivanje prisustva kontaminenata, pre svega perzistetnih zagađivača u hrani animalnog porekla, obavezno i neophodno. Maksimalne dozvoljene količine hemijskih zagađivača propisane su zakonskom regulativom Republike Srbije, koja je u velikoj meri usklađena sa regulativom Evropske unije i prati smernice kontrole Svetske zdravstvene organizacije. U radu su prikazani rezultati hemijskih ispitivanja hrane animalnog porekla u periodu od 2018. do 2021. godine. Cilj rada je bio da se, sa aspekta bezbednosti, sagleda stanje hrane animalnog porekla na području Republike Srbije kroz kontrolu kako domaćih tako i proizvoda koji se uvoze.

Nitrites as additives prevent the rancidity of triacylglycerol in meat, prevent the growth of microorganisms and contribute to the taste of smoked meat products. They are registered as official preservatives and additives. The potential dangerous effect on the health of nitrites was discovered in the 1960s and a debate on the safety of cured meat products was initiated, since nitrites are the common additives used in cured meat products. This debate was largely focused on cured meat products, although potable water and vegetables are also considered as substantial sources of nitrites intake. The major concern of nitrites in food is related to the potential ability of nitrites to form carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. The first half of the 20th century brought a gradual shift to nitrites addition in cured meat products, due to a faster curing time, an increased production capacity and a better knowledge of nitrite chemistry. As nitrite reacts with protein to form carcinogenic compound nitrosamine, which increases the risk of cancer for people who like meat food, so the amount of nitrite added in food has attracted great attention of researchers. This research was conducted in order to monitor the status of nitrites in smoked bacon and smoked pork roast in the period from 2020 to 2022 in Serbia. There are many methods for determining nitrite in food, which can be divided into two categories: spectroscopic methods and chromatographic methods. The spectroscopic method at a wavelength of 538 nm was used for this research. 74 samples of smoked meat were analyzed, of which 33 samples of smoked bacon and 41 samples of smoked pork roast. The test results gave an average level of nitrite content expressed as sodium nitrite (NaNO2) for smoked pork bacon of 32.04 mg/kg, while for smoked pork roast the value was 24.26 mg/kg ( maximum concentration 150 mg/kg). Based on this research, it can be concluded that the concentration of nitrites in the tested smoked bacon and smoked pork